1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bins for use in storing, moving, processing and/or dispensing fluids.
2. The Relevant Technology
The biopharmaceutical industry uses large quantities of different types of fluids in their research, testing, and production of final product. Examples of such fluids include media, buffers, and reagents. Critical to the biopharmaceutical industry is the ability to easily transport, process, and dispense such fluids while preventing unwanted contamination. Historically such fluids have been held in stainless steel containers which required cleaning and sterilization between uses. To avoid the burden of repeated tank cleaning, current approaches to the storage and dispending of fluids have utilized fluid dispensing bins.
Conventional fluid dispensing bins comprise an open top bin having a fixed floor with a fixed porthole extending therethrough. A disposable bag having a fluid line extending therefrom is disposed within the bin so that the fluid line extends out of the porthole. The disposable bag can be presterilized so as to prevent contamination of fluids that pass therethrough. Once the bag is filled with fluid, the bag provides a ready supply of the fluid for desired processing. Once the bag is empty, the bag can be replaced with a new bag without cleaning.
Although conventional fluid dispensing bins are useful, they have a number of shortcomings. For example, conventional fluid dispensing bins have a fixed floor with a fixed porthole configuration so that the customer is required to purchase from the bin manufacturer the corresponding bag that is designed to fit the bin. As a result, customers are limited in their ability to purchase bags from other producers in that the bags may not fit properly within the bin. Furthermore, due to the fixed nature of the bins, customers are unable to request customized bag designs that may be more useful under different processing or dispensing conditions. In addition, bags are often preassembled and then sterilized with other structures such as filters. However, once a filter or other structure is secured to the fluid line extending from a bag, the bag can no longer be used with the bin in that the filter cannot be passed through the fixed port hole on the floor of the bin.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art are fluid dispensing bins that can be easily used with a broad range of bag designs and bag assemblies.